The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto
by VictoriaVQ
Summary: Naruto, Gaara & the other Jinchuriki don't know why their villages hated them. Join them as they embark on a journey for the truth. And with the help of some mysterious friends they discover that to win and truly be happy takes guts, brains and love too. Begins 6 yrs prior to origin. plot. WARNING: Contains violence, gore, sad/dark themes, sexual reference. Orig. characters OC's
1. Preface

The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto

|The Guardian of Love and Hate|

[Inspired by Evanescence's _My Immortal_]

Preface

_Why was I hated by everyone? What had my six year old self done to deserve this kind of treatment? I try, I ponder, I fight my way through the everyday stress of having to face the oncoming hatred that I have no knowledge of. I continue moving forward, step by little step, deep in unconscious wonder and a slowly unknowing aching heart._

It was another day for six year old Naruto Uzumaki—another tauntingly lonely day. Every day was the same: get up, wash, clean, and tidy, dress, leave, go to school, return, eat, shower and then sleep. Every single day was the exact same routine. It made the young boy wonder, was this life what _everyone_ in the village were caged in? Was this the result of being a shinobi? Sometimes, he thought so. But other times (most of the time that is) he thought it was just him.

School had never been any fun for the young boy. Whenever he enters the room, the students his age chit chatting about different things suddenly change their subjects to taunts, rumors, spiteful words that dug the hole he stood in even deeper. Why did he have to be the center of their prejudice?

_Why me?_

Sometimes, the students would gang up on the parentless child and beat him until nothing but bruises, cuts, and broken bones lay on the ground before them. And before they left, they spat their ugly saliva, urinate on, yell and scream words of no acceptance. And yet, for some odd reason, Naruto felt as though their words weren't true. These were just kids the same age as him, some even younger, treating him like an outsider, the outcast, the scapegoat of their daily problems. It were as if he sensed some other force pulling the strings of these kids—most likely the older generations, like their parents, grandparents, the adults. Something must have happened years ago and now he was being blamed for it. For what, he knew not of. For what, they never told him. Why? Good question; why indeed.

It was October 9th when the young Naruto walked back from the Konoha Academy. Today was the class midterm—perform a few Henge no Jutsu and throw five shuriken at the bull's eye perfectly. He hated these exams to be quite frank. They only made an embarrassment out of him and he resented that. The entire village had already labeled him as their source of all problems; why not add some embarrassing failures at ninja school to that too!

Obvious to his other classmates, he had failed miserably. He couldn't perform the Henge and couldn't even throw one shuriken into the bull's eye.

_What a lousy guy._

_Heh, I wonder how he even got enrolled in this school._

_He wants to be Hokage? Forget it! Loser!_

_You failed again, fox kid! Give up already! You suck anyway!_

He tried to block the words from his head, but it was useless. Each and every one of their words sliced through his being like senbon needles into an experimental carcass. The more taunts, the more needles, the bigger the holes and the grander the damage. Sometimes, he just wanted to scream his lungs out and fade into nothingness. Death seemed like the answer to all his problems. It seemed like the only solution to his ultimate salvation from this wretched village and its heartless inhabitants. If only he could escape…

Without anyone knowing, he had attempted multiple suicides beforehand. Overdosing on stolen sedative pills from the pharmacy, ripping a kunai or two into his arms and legs, drinking several vials of toxic poisons, getting beyond "high" on drugs taken from the upper-class shinboi—any of those actions should have sent him straight to heaven months ago. But they didn't. The amounts weren't enough. Was this the reason why the village hated him? Because of his superb ability in ultra fast healing and repelling of almost any toxin known to man? Because he had attempted suicide at least nine times and hasn't dropped dead on the streets in broad daylight? Overtime, these thoughts began to get the best of the little boy.

Trying to shake off these suicidal thoughts, although that was all that he thought about in his spare time, he walked up the stairs that led up to his rundown apartment above the wooden building. At the age of four, he asked the Hokage if he could live by himself. He felt weird living in the Hokage's house, or rather, the building next to it and being around the much older village leader. He wished he hadn't made that decision and stayed with Sarutobi instead. At least, he wouldn't get as many taunts as he would around the well respected man.

Only a couple more steps until he would reach his apartment door. What was his house number again? 37, was it? There were times where he was so entranced in his inner thoughts that everything else around him would fade away from his mind, disappearing into the far corners of the universe in his still developing mind. It was only him and his inner consciousness.

Finally on the top of the building, he made his way towards the old metal green door that led to his "home". It didn't really feel like home that much. At it had was a small bed, a table, two chairs, a sink and refrigerator, a bathroom, and a few windows. Below was a concrete floor. It wasn't much of a cozy place, but to Naruto it was enough. At least this hunk-of-junk apartment gave him a roof to sleep under. He remembered the nights where he ended living on the back alleys of the village. Those days were never pleasant.

As he approached the door, he felt a presence close by, probably a couple yards from where he stood. Naruto stopped in his tracks and concentrated on the presence he felt. Nobody had given him the chance to prove himself, but Naruto could sense a change in their air, or what shinboi say a change in chakra levels, several miles away. His hypersensitivity had paid off as he was able to mingle his way through the streets of Konoha at night without being mugged, beaten, or killed, at least.

The chakra level was calm, but at the same time powerful. Something about it sent chills down his spine. Should he approached it? From the approximate location of the chakra change, he could tell something was in front of his door. And he needed to get in.

Pondering a few moments, the six year old decided to take a couple steps and find out what this strange chakra was. The worst it could be was a villager coming to give him a good piece of his so-called "right mind", though he couldn't recall anyone in the village with this level of chakra, besides the Hokage of course. It made him fear for the worst, yet intrigued him at the same time.

Slow step by slow step, he made his way in front of his door and was surprised to find his suspicions were completely wrong. What stood in front of his door wasn't a villager, or the Hokage, or any type of person at all. In fact, it was smaller and weirder than he anticipated. Sitting on the cement in front of his beaten door was what looked like a small white pup, like some kind of sea lion pup or something of that nature. What was it doing here in front of his house? And how come it was emitting such strong chakra? When he stepped closer, the eyes of the pup began to flutter open. Obsidian, round eyes met his crystal blue ones. Then Naruto saw it—and it saddened him greatly.

There were burn marks on the pup's body and on one of its face several scars and the way they were marked, it were as though the pup had been under the mutilating hands of a horrible abuser. A feeling suddenly burst into his chest and Naruto suddenly ran up to the pup and hugged it tightly in his arms. For some odd reason, tears began falling from his eyes. "It's okay, little guy. Everything's going to be okay now."

_Why am I saying this? What is going on with me?_

He lifted the pup gently in his arms and pulled out a key to unlock the metal door. Once they were inside, he placed the small thing on his bed and rushed over to the bathroom where he ran a towel under hot water. He returned and wiped the pup clean of the grime that covered its skin.

_No one ever saved me. So why do I feel so affectionate towards this little thing?_

He continued to question himself until the pup was all clean and warm from the heat of the towel. Suddenly, the pup squeaked and lunged itself onto Naruto, at the same time licking his face.

"Hey, hey, don't do that! You'll get yourself dirty all over again. I'm not clean yet!" He set the pup back on the bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Ten minutes later he returned with wet matted blonde locks and a pair of blue boxers. The little baby whatever-it-was was already sleep on his pillow.

A small smile crept onto the surface of Naruto's face, curving his usual upside down lips into a tiny smile of partial content. He couldn't understand what this feeling was inside of him, of why he had saved the pup or why he was willing to help the poor little guy while he suffered his entire life. Was it because of the scars and burn marks he saw on the baby's body, that it was a sign he too was rejected and beaten? Maybe they both knew what it felt like to be in pain and feel utterly helpless. Maybe that was the reason why he saved the pup and why the pup had accepted his help soundlessly. They may have been different creatures and were brought up in obviously different locations, but they shared the same experience—pain and loneliness. And it only takes an apple to recognize another apple.

He went around the house and blew out the candles before climbing into bed. With an extra small blanket, he folded it into a mini pillow and rested his head on there. Meanwhile, the thick knit blanket that he used to repel the heater-lacking atmosphere of his rundown apartment, he pulled to cover both him and the pup's tiny body. After whispering a pleasant "good night" to it, he feel into deep sleep and for the first time in three years, slept without nightmares.

**A/N: Um…I am currently speechless at this point. I had no intention of writing this at all, but after watching the 2013 Memory Games and reading some depressing Naruto fanfictions—oh, and making a journal on dA this morning or yesterday late night (I don't remember when), I just had the urge to get on my computer and write this. At first, I was going to go with one of my characters waiting for him in front of Naruto's door, but I decided to add a little twist to that part. Instead, I put the little seal-looking pup. The pup's not a seal, or sea lion, or any of our existing animals we find in today's modern oceanic environments. I really don't know what it is—it might be a combination of a seal and long neck dinosaur-thingy-of-whatever! Yeah, it's a creature from my imagination. Anyways, this ended up being 5 easy pages—this only happens when I really want to write and this happens to be one of those times.**

**Anyways, please favorite, review, comment—do something! I have no idea what to think of this story, so I need your critique. Should I continue? Interest points? Want to guess what kind of dinosaur I was talking about? Yeah, have fun guessing and let me know! :-)**

**Cheers!**


	2. Ch 1 - My Loneliness Pt 1

**The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto**

**Chapter One - My Loneliness Part 1**

**[Inspired by Naruto Sad Soundtrack(s)]**

"Why would you want to know? You probably think I'm a monster just like every other person in this village!" the six year old boy screamed. Thick, hot tears streamed down his face as he felt the crimson liquid drip from his wounds, staining the cement ground dark red. "All you care about is this village! I hate this village! I have everyone in it—I hate it all! I _hate_ you!"

Sarutobi widened his eyes, a sharp pain suddenly jabbing in his chest. It hurt him greatly to see the son of his successor degrade to this level of pain and loneliness. Minato and Kushina wanted Naruto to live a fulfilling life, where everyone would look up to him as a hero, the savior of the village hidden in the leaves. But the exact opposite had happened and the sight of Naruto, the six year old boy crying his heart out, scared and unsure, squeezed his heart dry until every last bit of emotion dripped away. He loved the boy, so much like his own grandson that seeing him in so much pain, Sarutobi wished he could do something—anything—to relieve the little boy of his torment.

The older man began walking towards the little boy, who backed away. "Naruto, as the Hokage, I must look after this village and its people—you included. I cannot understand what you are going through, but what I do know is that you are never alone. I am always here for you. In fact, I care more about you than any other person in this entire village."

His last statement stopped Naruto in his tracks. Did Sarutobi truly mean that? Or was he playing tricks to confuse his mind, send him back into that pool of utter hatred and despair?

"If…If you care about me so much, why make me live amongst those people! If you knew that I was going to be hurt, why didn't you do something?"

"It had been your choice Naruto—"

"I don't care! You could have stopped me, locked me away inside your house, chained me down to the bed, _anything_! Yet you…" he said through his sobs, "you didn't do anything to…to…" The little boy fell to his knees, clutching his body as tightly as he could to alleviate the pain, trying to let out all his agony. Why did he have to be the one to suffer the most?

_Why me?_

With a confident step, though he was greatly saddened and so close to being heartbroken, Sarutobi knelt down in front of the boy and embraced him in a tight hug. He let the boy cry onto his Hokage robe, releasing all the sadness that dwelled within his small being. No child should have to bear this much pain as Naruto did. But, unfortunately by fate, the six year old host of the Kyuubi had to face it all, take it in, and die from the inside out.

After a few hours, Naruto had finally calmed down and lay on Sarutobi's lap, head resting on the old man's chest. His eyes were red and puffy from the hour long crying, now replaced with small sounded hiccups. The entire time Sarutobi and clutched onto the child and sat down in his office chair, patting the boy's back, trying to reassure him everything would be okay, though he knew the taunting and extreme prejudice would never change. But he tried his best to calm the sobbing boy the best he could nonetheless.

"H-Hokage-sama", Naruto whispered. The sound of his voice worried Sarutobi; it was so dull and emotionless.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"I…I want to see Netora-san again. I miss him." He sniffled a little.

"He'll be back soon." _Please hurry Netora-san, I'm not sure he can last any longer without you here._

**_A/N: I had the urge to continue writing, so I decided to continue on with this. Read, review, favorite, follow-cheers!_**

**_(P.S. Next chapter coming up VERY SOON :D)_**


	3. Ch 2 - My Loneliness Pt 2

**The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto**

**Chapter Two - My Loneliness Part II**

**[Inspired by Naruto OST - Shirotsumekusa]**

_Knock! Knock!_

Sarutobi opened his old eyes and let out a small yawn. _Damn, who would be knocking at his house at this hour?_

He walked to the door, making sure to take a peek into the living room where Naruto lay asleep covered in a cozy blanket, before opening it. He was about to give the person a light version of a piece of his mind when he saw who it was at the door.

"Good evening, Hokage-sama", she said bowing. Her silver hair shined like silk as it reflected the moonlight.

"Yukika-chan", he said. "What brings you here?" He had expected someone else—with the slightest chance Netora. But Mie Yukika visiting him was surprising. For one, she despised the hidden leaf for having destroyed her home village and two, for injuring her closest friend, who happened to be Netora himself.

"Netora couldn't come to the village because of an emergency call, so he asked me to take Naruto home in his place. Here's the letter he sent me." She handed him the piece of paper a hawk had flown from Netora to her, then walked towards Naruto.

Sarutobi looked at the letter and noted that it had been from him. Sarutobi hadn't needed to be told twice by who anything was from whom. Netora's handwriting was so distinctive enough and he knew Netora was careful inform the Third of any changes in particular.

As he turned around to speak to Yukika, he found himself speechless and marveled by the affection before him. Yukika, with her tender hands, gently stroked Naruto's cheek, like a mother would do to her child. The look on her face—shimmering eyes full of care and love, would have made anyone guess she was the mother of the sleeping child. She slowly leaned her face closer, almost an inch away from the little boy's forehead and planted a sweet kiss on his semi-tan skin. This made Naruto stir a little and within moments, a pair of crystal blue eyes fluttered open. Two small hands came up to his round face and wiped away the gunk that secreted from his sleepy eyes. Once he got a good visual of who was in front of him, his lips blossomed into a smile and he jumped onto her.

"Yukika-chan!" he exclaimed happily. Yukika was one of the few people that knew Naruto well, inside and out. She was like an older sister to him, and sometimes a motherly figure as well. Although she didn't visit the village very often, due to her work as a shinobi in the land of snow, the time they spent together were priceless. He loved being around her and she would look after him dearly. Truth be told, they were almost like mother and child.

"Hey, how are you doing Naruto? Sleepy, aren't ya?" She ruffled his hair a little as he let go of her from his neck-wrapping elated hug.

"I was sleepy, but not anymore, now that you're here!" His eyes twinkled in the moonlight. She kissed him on the nose, making him wrinkle his tickled nostrils. She chuckled, caressing his cheeks once more with the back of her index finger.

"I'll take you home today, okay? Netora can't come today—he got stuck with another mission", she explained. She saw the sad glimmer in Naruto's eyes for a moment, but they returned back to happiness.

"It's okay, even if he isn't here, you're here Yukika-chan!"

"Alright then, c'mon, let's get you home." They walked out of the building and onto the streets of Konoha.

**A/N: As I said in the last chapter, I was going to upload this one VERY SOON, which I did-twenty minutes after, I think? Well yeah, again, the urge to write. It's awesome! Review, favorite, follow, share-cheers!**

**(P.S. If you didn't discover already, Mie Yukika is one of my OC's and one of my favorite (only because she looks like Ukitake-sorta XD). Here's a link to her profile: sebastianmerissa . deviantart art / YukikaMieBlkWht - 385931993 sorry for the spacing, the link won't work if connected all together...?**** )**


	4. Ch 3 - My Loneliness Pt 3

A/N: Hi there! Thanks for the reviews thus far! Usually I write my commentaries below the story, but for this chapter, I'm writing it up top because there are some things you should be aware about this chapter before you read it.

In this chapter exploits Yukika's past, which is very dark and cruel. Contains torture, rape, death, hints of genocide. If you don't like reading stuff like that, please skip down to the phrase **"****_Time really flies by fast_****!" Yukika thought to herself. IT IS IN BOLD.**

From there on is where all the evilness stops and happier details take place. Please DO NOT flame me for what I have written! Constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated, as well as any other reviews!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT and sadly, WILL NEVER own Naruto. All Naruto chapters mentioned in this story belongs to the awesome Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the plot and my OC's. :)

Sorry for the spelling mistakes and grammar fragments! I'll will fix them in the future!

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto**

**Chapter Three – My Loneliness Part III**

Luckily, the streets were empty while Yukika and Naruto traveled through the village. Yukika knew the kind of people Konoha inhabited—cold, heartless people who wouldn't give a second thought to review their views of the world. She _hated_ these kind of people. When she was in her younger years, while living in the Land of Snow, her village had been a peaceful place to call home. Although it wasn't always sunny and flowery there, the beautiful falling snow wasn't too terrible. In fact, it brought her great joy, because not only was it her home, but she was connected to the snow. After all, her name was Yukika, meaning _snow flower_. Her mother Yuki loved all flowers, because their village didn't have any. Therefore, her father, whenever he went on missions outside the country would always come back with vibrant colored bouquets. Obviously, they didn't want to name their daughter "bouquet"—that would be very weird. So instead, they chose Yukika, partially named after her mother and the other part by the snow and flowers.

At the age of nine, Yukika watched horrifically as her village was burned to the ground. Every single male in the village, no matter the age, was slaughtered without a second thought. She remembered vividly as her mother clutched onto her while hiding in the far corner of the house, trying to protect her from the enemies. From what she briefly observed from her window, Yuki saw the women and children taken captive. What they would do to them, she could only guess—and fear the worst.

The rest was a blur, but Yukika remembered watching as two shinobi barged into their house and tried to pull them apart.

"Let go of the brat, you bitch!"

"Mommy! Mommy I'm scared!"

"Don't let go, Yukika. Don't let go of my hands!"

They had held on so tightly together and Yuki fought back so roughly the shinobi took desperate measures. As one grabbed hold of Yukika by the abdomen and gagged her, the other pulled out what looked like a miniature version of a bomb tag, about an eighth the size of a regular one. He grabbed her mother's face and shoved the piece of deadly paper into her mouth. Yukika at the time had never seen a paper bomb before. She had only witnessed her village use ice jutsu to fight and defend their selves. The sight of that paper being shoved down her mother's throat left her pondering and fearful.

But the worst was yet to come.

The man made a hand sign.

She was pulled back.

Not ten seconds later, the entire room was covered in red crimson blood. Yukika, only nine years old at the time, watched her mother's head obliterate into spewing blood and tattered chunks of hanging flesh. Her head was grotesquely blown to bits, leaving a mutilated neck that had blood oozing out like a fountain and platter onto Yukika and the other two shinobi. Then the body fell forward, hitting the ground with a sickening _thud_ and seconds later a huge pool of crimson covered the floor.

Yukika, in shock and anger, fumed it all out in blistering screams of agony and rage, thrashing about. She clawed, shoved, punched, kicked, hollered, cursed—every single action imaginable created by insanity. She had gone wild, pain racking her body as the deathly acid of destruction and loss filled her veins. In a last attempt to control her, the shinobi punched her hard in the abdomen, knocking the air out of her lungs. Then with a large syringe, plunged the metallic needle into her arm, sedating her immediately. The effect was quick and within moments, Yukika blacked out.

Before she passed out though, she took a glimpse at their headgear. Black masks, two slits for the eyes, and a head band. On it, a little stem, an inward swirl, a triangular piece jutting out the other end.

The Hidden Leaf Village. Konoha.

The captives of the enemy, of Konoha that was, had sent them to a nearby camp facility, where they put them to work in the mines and plantations. She didn't know what exactly what they were looking for, but by observing the massive amounts of gold, coal, rice and many other natural items, she guessed they were fishing for resources. But why of all villages would the Hidden Leaf attack another village thousands of miles away and manufacture resources just to be sent back the same distance? It didn't make sense and why not keep the men as well? They were better suited for the job of mining and harvesting. Why did they have to kill her parents just to get these resources?

Later in the months, she discovered their reason for abducting the women.

She was working late and having just finished her portion of the harvesting, she was given leave to go and take a shower, which they were only granted once every two weeks. As she cleaned herself in the nearby river, its shallow depth giving her no comfort at all, she witnessed a group of young girls at the other part of the river not too far from her being approached the their captive shinobi. The girls screamed, trying to get away, but the shinobi were too fast. They grabbed the girls and dragged them out of the river, naked and cold. They gagged the girls and bound their wrists and legs to the trees nearby. Yukika stowed her body into the river as much as much as she could, afraid the men would see her and take her hostage as well.

She watched in horror as the young females, some the same age as her, some a little older, were mercilessly raped by the shinobi. The way they tied the girls to the tree trunks, about three to four girls a tree, eight in total, sickened Yukika to no end. She wanted to throw up right then and there, and dash away, escape from the sight her nine year old self was witnessing. But she was too scared, to damaged to run away. She simply hid herself in the icy cold river, shaking in fear and her mind went blank.

The shinobi took turns with each female, squeezing their breasts disgustingly while thrusting with such ferocity that the girls hollered in pain. Blood could be seen trailing down the tree bark and staining the ground below. One of the girls screamed so loud the shinobi doing her pulled out a kunai and shoved it between her legs. His voice, so cold and horrible, could be heard from Yukika's distance.

"Scream any louder girlie, and I won't just fuck you senseless. I'll fuck every part of you with this kunai until you're nothing but a pile of flesh and bone!"

That only made the girl whimper and as if taking that as a negative sign, the shinobi ripped he kunai from within her and plunged it into her abdomen, tearing the flesh open. Suddenly, dark colored substances spewed from the huge gash, spilling onto the ground below her. The girl's body writhed uncontrollably as her organs flew out of her body. Within moments, she girl was dead. But the shinobi didn't care. They continued to rape her dead body, as well as the other girls who had gone deathly silent.

The cycle continued for about another hour, which seemed like an eternity to Yukika. Once they had finished their sex spree, the men spilled gasoline on the girls and lit the trees on fire. They watched in fascination as their victims screamed as the flames licked their flesh and burned them alive. It only took fifteen minutes for all of them to completely enter the next world. And it left Yukika more scared that she ever could have imagined.

Was it truly the Hidden Leaf that had done this to her village? Had they destroyed all of their lives for the sake of gaining supplies and using them as sex slaves? She couldn't see the purpose behind their wrong doings—it was so sadistically immoral and none of it made sense!

After her experience in the camp, she had finally escaped with the help of one of the shinobi who was actually a spy from another village. With that she left the camp behind and wandered endlessly through the different terrains, not knowing what to do or where to go. She witnessed death and destruction too much and now at the age of ten, hopelessness had already invaded most of her young mind. Was this what the shinobi world had to offer? Hunt and kill or die victimized? That's not what her parents had taught her.

Eventually Yukika wound up in another village of the Land of Snow. There, she enrolled in the ninja academy and studied all she could. Being a ninja was in her blood. Both her parents had been shinobi and everyday back when her village hadn't been destroyed yet, they would train in the basics, also enhancing their ice style jutsu as well.

And as if by a stroke of luck, during the Chunnin Exams that had taken place in Konoha, she met Uzumaki Netora, a boy who had migrated to Konoha after his remnant village of Uzushio had been destroyed. They both came from a very similar past, faced so many devastating tribulations that had scarred both of their young minds. They had fought each other to become chunnin, and while she had lost to him, she had made a new friend and eventually, he became her first—and only lover.

Yukika clutched Naruto's tiny hand tightly as the advanced through the quiet streets. They had all been through so much—too much in her opinion, and fate always had her ways of making humans hate the lives they live. Many years following the Chunnin Exams she took, as she recalled from nearly a decade and a half ago, she and Netora had befriended all the other genins—Rookie 17, they had been known as. How long it had been since them

**"****_Time really flies by fast_****!" Yukika thought to herself.**

**Together, Rookie 17 had dedicated themselves to preventing devastations such as the ones Yukika had gone through. If the world were to be at peace, which they all strived to goal for, destructive genocides such as those needed to cease completely. Lately though, they had shifted their main focus on something more personal, which was one of the reasons why she had come to Konoha tonight.**

**They reached the building Naruto stayed at. Travelling up the stairs, Naruto began talking about the pup he found the other night, all battered and cold. Yukika listened with interest, mainly because the kind of pup he described sounded like a certain summon that a certain somebody owned.**

**When they entered his house, Yukika was a little shocked at the living condition he had been put in. The walls were peeling, the ceiling cracked, the floor a dirty, rough cement and the only furniture in the entire house besides the bed was a small table with a chair, a nightstand and a two drawer cabinet. How could the Hokage allow Naruto live in these conditions? She searched the walls for a heat controller, but found none.**

**"Naruto, did the landlord tell you there's heat up here? It's very cold."**

**Naruto looked at her with a sad smile and shrugged. "He never mentioned anything to me. He just told me that I can live up here as long as I don't cause trouble. He said it was the best he could do for me." His eyes widened a little as he saw Yukika's hands form tight fists. That must mean she was angry.**

**Almost about to head out the door and give the landlord a piece of her mind, a loud whimper took her mind off her anger-stricken resolution. Naruto ran up to his bed and gently lifted the covers to reveal a white little pup—looking much like seal pup, but its fins were distinctively different and the gills on the side only supported that reasoning even more.**

**The six year old boy picked up the pup and put it in his arms as if he were holding a dog. He then walked up to Yukika, who bent down to take a look at the creature. "I found him the other night. He's cute! What do you think?"**

**"Yeah, he's very cute", Yukika commented. A small smile blossomed on her lips as she pet it on the head, making the pup whimper again. By looking at the smile on his face, the kunoichi could tell he was very well attached to the little animal in his arms. From the scars that lined the baby's body, it looked as though it had gone through a not-so-happy past either. Yet quizzically, it looked so much like one of Netora's summoning. She made a mental note to ask her good friend about this later.**

**"So how long are you going to be in Konoha, Yukika-chan?" Naruto asked. "I mean, usually when Netora comes, he stays for a few days."**

**She knew exactly what he was trying to say.**

**She knelt down in front of him and gave him a reassuring smile. "Well, since I figured someone's birthday is coming up soon, I was thinking of maybe staying with you for about a week. How does that sound?"**

**"A whole week! Really?" the little boy asked excitedly. He was more than happy to have someone he trusted and liked stay with him. Although Netora came and went, the longest he could stay was three days, since he had so many missions to complete in the other villages. So having Yukika, who could visit him so much stay a whole week made him jitter with happiness.**

**"Yup, a whole week." She stood and walked to his bed. She sat and gestured him to do the same. After he had settled next to his silvery-white haired companion, she ruffled his hair lightly. "Seeing that your house needs some renovating, why don't we go out and buy some new things, eh?"**

**Naruto simply blinked at her. "Renova-what? What do you mean buy new things? I'm confused", he confessed with a pout. She found it cute how he would always act like this when he was stumped.**

**"Renovating—that means we're going to fix the house and make it look way cooler than it is now. What do you say?"**

**"Yeah, let's do that! Wait, but what about the landlord? He'll know, won't he?"**

**Yukika winked. "Don't worry; I got everything covered. But that we will start tomorrow. How about we get something to eat?"**

**"I have ramen. Do you like ramen?"**

**"Ramen sounds good. What flavors do you have?"**

**A/N-2: here is a picture of our little pup. Name (species) : Kynikos Savra Stragida [ sebastianmerissa . deviantart art/Kynikos-Savra-Sfragida-386832246] Again sorry for the spacing-Fanfiction acting up again...**


	5. Ch 4 - My Loneliness Pt 4

The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto

Chapter Four – My Loneliness Part IV

_A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed, favorite, following, etc. The fact that you are all doing this makes me very happy. It makes me only want to write more! Lately I have been trying to put up links to some pictures of the characters but for some odd reason won't let me. So here's what I will do. Go on Google or something, and type in__** SebastianMerissa**__ and __**Deviantart**__. That should lead you right to my dA account and there you'll see all the pictures of the characters and some that you haven't read about yet._

_There isn't anything to warn you about this chapter (*smile*), thank goodness. A little kissing maybe? Teehee! The previous chapter actual gave me goose bumps while writing…so yeah…_

_I wrote this chapter while listening to the following that you can find on YouTube: __Naruto Shippuden Movie Sad Soundtrack Collection [HD] _&_ Naruto Shippuden Unreleased Soundtrack - Decision [HD], __both by__** Na Bru Tal**__.__ The songs had given me inspiration and I think made this chapter come to life...at least for me. __**Try it out and let me know if you felt the same way with the music!**_

_This chapter actually has some nice stuff going on in it and shows the relationship between Yukika and a new character (yipee!) with Naruto. This is a much longer chapter, so get your reading glasses on and get ready to enter my world of Uzumaki Naruto! Enjoy!_

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The ramen Naruto had served that evening was beef flavor. He had asked Yukika what kind of ramen she liked and she picked out randomly. Together, they boiled the water until it bubbled in the pot and got the ramen cups out, ready to be eaten. Meanwhile, Yukika had summoned her summoning Yukihato, a silky snow colored dove the size of an indoor cat.

Geez, Naruto had thought to himself, that bird is _huge!_

With it, the snowy bird had brought a basket filled with grayish colored eggs.

"Are those her eggs?" the six-year-old asked. He eyes widened when the large dove talked to him.

"Absolutely not! My eggs are not for eating, little boy!" The dove made a 'hn' sound, taking offense to what the child in front of it had said.

Okay, so a huge dove just appeared out of nowhere and now it's talking—no, _scolding_ him about a bunch of eggs. How was he supposed to know? The boy was only six years old and hadn't had an ounce of real ninja training, let alone summoning of certain animal nins.

Yukika just giggled softly at the two. "These eggs are from a very special place called Dà Yánhú, a very large, salty lake. Inside the lake are Duck Egg Algae, which produce a seed that when picked young tastes just like the Thousand-Year duck eggs. I was thinking maybe we can put it in the ramen?"

The little boy in front of her was but all stunned and awed. He would be eating something that he had never tried before—a little out of his comfort zone, but it sounded really good to try. Also, he knew that those Thousand-Year duck eggs weren't cheap in Konoha. They had to be imported from the fisherman towns near the coast of the continent. He tried to get some, but they were way too expensive. Naruto nodded his head, a childish smile plastered on his face.

Yukika put several eggs into another pot full of boiling water and waited until the egg-looking algae seeds cracked on the outside, revealing black beneath. She took the seeds out and began peeling off the cracking shell. With the knife, she cut each seed into small pieces. All the while, Naruto took hold of the other boiling pot and poured the water into the ramen cups. Then Yukika put in the algae seed pieces and put the bowls on the small table.

Naruto was surprised at how delicate the seed was while he chewed his algae-ramen mix. It had an interesting flavor to it too; chewy and slightly crunch on the outside layer, and soft and juicy on the inside. His mind practically melted while he ate. This was absolutely delicious and he wouldn't mind having some more.

Yukika smiled, happy to see Naruto enjoying himself. She knew he didn't have many moments like these and wouldn't have much more in the future. At least, she began thinking that way. All her life she had suffered and when she saw someone like her, bearing the unnecessary burdens life put down on them, she only wanted to help them. Seeing Naruto enjoying a meal, smiling genuinely made her feel…almost complete. She couldn't describe the feeling, but it definitely had content in it. All she needed to see was his bright smile that would bring unimaginable amounts joy to the world. That she was certain of.

After finishing up his fourth bowl (Yukika had no idea he had such a BIG appetite) of ramen and algae eggs, Yukika washed the dishes while Naruto wiped the tables and made sure the floor wasn't dirty either, although it was a wreck itself but she insisted. Looking at the clock it was now quarter to eleven.

"Hey Naruto", she started. "Did you shower yet?"

Naruto looked up from his cleaning. "Um, not yet. Why, do I smell like those eggs?"

Yukika threw her head back and laughed, causing Naruto to sheepishly smirk. That little blonde, oh, she just wanted to pinch his cheeks until they turned tomato red! "Well, if you sleep right after this without showering, you'll definitely turn into one tomorrow."

"I call showering first!" He dropped the cloth into the sink and ran into the bathroom, whereas the silver haired woman stacked the bowls back into their places on the countertop. Apparently the house wasn't equipped with cabinets for dishes and such. What a great landlord. She had decided tomorrow early in the morning she would wake the damn man from his nestled sleeping and give him a piece of her mind. Nobody treats a citizen of Konoha like this, regardless of who they were!

She heard the shower starting and decided to settle down on Naruto's bed, which had a semi large clear window that revealed the cityscape of Konoha. The pup moved closer to her thigh and snuggled next to her leg. She patted its head, a soft purring echoing through the small space, indicating that it had fallen asleep.

Just looking at the cityscape made her wonder about so many things. Being here, taking care of the six-year-old that looked so much like his parent figures she adored—Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. That had been their names; the Fourth Hokage and his lovely wife. They had sometimes been at each other's necks when in a conflict, but they nonetheless resolved it and walked away with cheery smiles and undoubted success. Their deaths had been devastating to everyone who knew them, including herself and to a grandiose scale, Naruto. Just thinking about everything, how she had met all her best friends—the Rookie 17, being taken under Kushina's wing, falling in love with Netora, the organization they created, her mentor's death and Naruto's birth and demon sealing—so much had happened within the last two decades of her life, sometimes she wondered if they really did occur. Some days they seemed surreal, other days made her think, _what in the name of Kami am I doing?_

The conflicted young kunoichi continued to think about the events that had taken place in her 26 years of living when the pup suddenly awakened and sat upright, facing the window. It made a high pitched sound, almost like a dog's bark, but much more muted. She looked over at the window and gasped.

"You mind the window? I can't get in from the outside, y'know!" the young male exclaimed with a smile.

Yukika unlocked the windows and in slipped the male. He stood in front of her sitting position, his violet eyes shimmering as some of the moonlight caught his face. He had hung his hair loose, the whitish dull silver locks adorning his pale face softly. Instead of his usual outfit, he had on gray colored armor, which covered his body from neck to toe, leaving his face exposed where a mask would be placed.

The two lovers stared at each other, love in full blossom in their eyes. Apparently, the little pup felt very uncomfortable and decided with a loud _bark _to break the silence. The two got out of their trance and sheepishly chuckled at each other. Then the male walked up to the pup and pat its head.

"I thought Momoko was taking care of you, Chokichi-kun? Did you run away?"

Chokichi looked at Netora with 'puppy eyes' and knowing his master well, he lowered his head, confirming his deviant deed [^.^] with a defeated sigh that sounded like a whine. The white haired male couldn't help but chuckle. He sighed and thought, _couldn't he be any more similar to Naruto?_

As if summoned by name via thought, a small figure with matted, disheveled not to mention wet, blonde hair appeared from the restroom. To Yukika's relief—although she would never admit it—Naruto had come out wearing blue sweatpants and a white shirt that was adorned with small watered spots. He looked at the three of them with his eyes open and dropped the wet towel to the ground.

In a flash, he ran to Netora and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck. Netora, if he hadn't somewhat prepared himself for impact, he surely would have fallen on his lower end, which thankfully he hadn't. Naruto began to cry on his shoulders, accusing childishly through his hiccup-mixed sobs.

"And…And you told Yuki-_huck_-ka that you didn't have _huck_ time to see me. Y-You're a _huck_ hor-horrible liar!" He didn't say anymore as the hiccups starting to hurt his little chest.

Netora caressed his back gently, tilting his head to the side so that his cheek rested softly against Naruto's. He chuckled at Naruto's "accusing words".

"Well…I had this gut feeling that you'd miss me, so I thought I'd stop by", he confessed, smiling into Naruto's hair.

The little boy rested his head on his shoulder and reached a hand out to Yukika, who took it lovingly with her hands. "Well", Yukika added, "you could have told us." She stroked his little hand gently, like a mother would do to her baby, adorning his tiny fingers that held a marvelous strength.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, right?"

Netora and Yukika widened their eyes just a little at Naruto's remark. He had been growing increasingly well at reading other people's minds.

_Such a delightful gift,_ Netora thought to himself, a_ future prodigy far greater than any other._

Once content with his state of mind, Naruto shimmied himself off of Netora and wiped away his tears. He then turned to the pup that looked at them with sleepy eyes.

"Sorry we kept you out of the conversation little guy", he apologized. Chokichi squirmed a little, as if saying, "It's okay".

Momentary silence evaded into the room for several moments. Then with a grunt, Netora broke the silence. "Looks like I have to go."

"You're going already?" Surprisingly, it wasn't Naruto asking this.

He turned to Yukika and nodded, slight sadness lingering in those violet orbs of his. "I have to. If I stay any longer I won't make it to my destination before sunrise. I had a few minutes to spare to see Naruto and you—and Chokichi…" The pup popped open one eye, hearing his name. "But now I'm on the dot."

Naruto looked up at Yukika and saw the sadness that too illuminated from her light blue crystal eyes. He turned to Netora and questioned him innocently. "Will you come back?"

"Of course I will Naruto—"

"Soon?"

Netora stayed quiet for a little. Naruto knew what the father figure that stood in front of him was going to say, but he wanted to hear his voice, to have a fresh reminder of what the white haired shinobi would say.

"I will try my best to come back. I can't guarantee time wise, but believe me, I'll be back." He quickly added to soothe the boy's mood, "And when I do, I'll stay longer. 'Promise."

A glimmer of happiness sparked in the blonde's eyes. "Pinkie promise?" He held out the tiny finger.

Yukika and Netora couldn't help but smile at his innocence.

"Pinkie promise." He crouched down, looking at the boy face-to-face and looped his own small finger around Naruto's, sealing their deal. "Alright, I'll see you another time. Meanwhile, take care of yourself Naruto. There are a lot of monstrous people out there who only want to hurt you, inside and out. Be strong and always believe in yourself." He pointed to his stomach. "Trust your gut. But don't forget…" he pointed to his forehead, "to use this too."

Naruto nodded, taking in Netora's words with sincerity. He ruffled his hair before embracing Yukika and kissing her full on the lips. Yukika practically melted in her arms, missing the long lost love between her and Netora. All the while Naruto turned his head and made a gagging sound. Chokichi covered his eyes with his flippers and let out the "not again!" whine. The two lovers chuckled.

Yukika then leaned her forehead onto his. "Take care of yourself and like Naruto said, come back as soon as you can. You have to promise me that too, Mister."

Her lover simply smirked. "Of course I will. I just sealed the deal with that kiss." A shade of pink crossed her face.

Netora let go of her and before climbing on the window and ready to use shunshin when he ruffled Naruto's hair, pat Chokichi on the head and then turned facing them with a placid grin. "Look after Yukika for me, will you Naruto? Just in case she needs someone to protect her."

With that, he disappeared into the night, leaving Yukika agape and Naruto wide eyed, hiding a smile under his mouth-covering-hand. Even Chokichi had his flippers over his mouth.

"I-I-I can take take myself, thank you very much!" She pouted with her arms crossed.

Naruto giggled at her remark. Yukika raised her eyebrows playfully. "What are you giggling about, little man?" She took up the arms-on-hips mom mode.

"Nothing…" he replied.

A moment later, Yukika had him on the bed tickling his abdomen. He tried to shake her off, but she was determined to give the boy a lesson for laughing at her. After about ten minutes, they composed themselves.

"Go dry your hair, Naruto. You'll get a head ache in the morning if you leave it wet."

"Okay. Where are you going sleep?"

"I brought a futon with me. I'll sleep on the floor."

Naruto pondered for a moment before beaming, "You can sleep with me on my bed! I don't want you to hurt your back sleeping on the floor. It's not comfortable, I'll tell you from experience."

Yukika thought about it. "Alright. I'll sleep on the outside though, since I'm waking up early tomorrow morning."

"For what?"

"A little business. Now stop stalling and go dry your hair, little man!" she barked.

She smiled victoriously as Naruto let out a sigh and with slumped shoulders, headed back to the bathroom to dry his still wet hair.

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A/N2: I might upload a picture of them sleeping together…NO WRONG THINKING INTENDED PEOPLE! I know you people are out there…get your minds out of the gutter! Let me know in your reviews if you want me to upload the picture or not~! Cheers!


	6. Ch 5 - Reevaluation

A/N: Thank you for the new reviews, favorites and follows! I decided to change things up a little and write this chapter from Sarutobi's point of view, bearing the, _How would life be different if... _question in mind. It just popped in my head, essentially. This one is a short chapter, but I think it proves the dilemma going on in his mind. Let me know what you think about this chapter! Constructive criticisms and any other reviews greatly appreciated!

I have no music suggestions for this chapter...I just listened to a bunch of Naruto OST's to get the mood up. Enjoy!

_Xtra Note: If anyone wants to see pictures of characters/scenes from the story thus far, go on Google and search up __**SebastianMerissa**__**Deviantart**__ - goes to my page where pics can be seen. :)_

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The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto

Chapter Five – Reevaluation

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_"Why would you want to know? You probably think I'm a monster just like every other person in this village!"_

Sarutobi creased his eyebrows, remembering what Naruto had said to him the night before.

_"I hate it all! I _hate_ you!"_

"Naruto", the old Hokage spoke softly to himself. He rubbed his temple with his sore hand, trying to relieve the throbbing that had been killing him since he woke up. "You aren't hated—you're _misunderstood._ And there are still people who care about you…so much…"

He let out a sigh and wiped a lone tear from his eye and stared at the wooden floor of his house. He was sitting slouched on the couch in his living room, an untouched steaming hot cup of tea on the table a foot away from him. It was early dawn now, the sky tinted in colorful shades of purple, orange and pink. But he had woken up far earlier than that. The sound of the clock ticking read twenty after five. He had been up at least two hours before, unable to sleep due to a monstrous pounding at the front of his head.

Others would have come to the conclusion that the head ache was probably from his old aging, but Sarutobi knew better. He was worried and filled with guilt—worried about the six-year-old Naruto and guilty that true to Naruto's words, he could have done better. The boy's voice, his hurt-filled words lingered in his mind like a leech to its prey. It hurt him—oh yes, his heart ached from the boy's accusation—but the old man knew he could only do so much for the Fourth's son, especially in the state the village was in. Sarutobi saw Naruto like a grandson to him, a child of many wonders—not to mention devious acts and pranks—only he was misunderstood by the village as the embodiment of the Nine-Tailed Fox rather than the innocent boy who was burdened to carry it.

Too many events had happened in such a short period of time. Once the Kyuubi had been sealed within Naruto, the village was suddenly put under siege from rival villages, especially that of Kumogakure. With Konoha majorly destroyed, its shinobi outnumbered since many were either injured or killed during the attack prior, the fate of the village seemed almost hopeless.

But in a stroke of luck, the Rookie 17 had come to their aid. Although most of them were not citizens of Konoha, they did not pledge allegiance to any sole village. He sometimes viewed them as mercenaries of their own kind. They had defended the Hidden Leaf, warding off the enemies with little effort. They were renowned shinobi, prodigies of their own generation. Once the enemy knew who they were fighting against, the order for retreat had been cast and instantaneously spread like wildfire.

He couldn't have thanked them enough—they had even helped rebuilt parts of the village. He remembered clearly when Netora—one of the last living members of the Uzumaki bloodline, had asked him if Sarutobi wanted to give Naruto into their custody. Netora wasn't a jinchuriki, but while living in Konoha he had been treated like one. He had been hated upon, beaten, burned, kicked out, yelled at and accused of actions he had never done because of his unnatural chakra, bloodline trait and having migrated from outside the village. He had gone through it all and having spent some time under the wing of Kushina Uzumaki only made him stronger, mentally and emotionally. So why not let Netora take care of Naruto so he wouldn't have to suffer a lonely life?

Sarutobi regretted his decision for Naruto to stay in the village, reason be that the Fourth Hokage wanted his son to be viewed as a hero for saving the village. Netora accepted the Third's decision, but the older man could see in those violet eyes of his that he personally did not want the boy to stay in the village. Sarutobi thought the village, in some form or way, would accept Naruto as one of them. Even if he wasn't viewed as a hero, even a regular citizen would have been fine. Oh how wrong he was. He hadn't foreseen this kind of lifestyle for the boy, seeing being torn apart from the inside day in and day out. But Netora knew; he had lived that life and instantaneously knew what the villagers would react. Why hadn't Sarutobi thought more deeply of this before agreeing? Was it because he didn't trust Netora completely at the time? Was it to keep his pride in the village, unknowingly burdening the boy with unknown monstrosity? He bet Naruto would have been much happier living with Netora wherever they'd be rather than here in Konoha. At least he would have someone to properly look after him.

He sighed once more before laying his back on the couch and looked out into the Konoha scenery. The village—it was so beautiful from the far distance; surrounding forest area mixed with rocky terrain combined with the growth of houses, buildings and monuments. Yet once inside the village, the ominous feeling immediately settled in to anyone from the outside and at times, it didn't just feel like the heavy weight of eyes watching, but stung those who were not accepted like a hundred arrows to the chest.

That was how Konoha had become to be to the outside world and it was most likely due to his decision to keep Naruto here. Would his home village have been different if Naruto hadn't resided here, but elsewhere?


	7. Ch 6 - Early Morning

A/N: Thanks for your new reviews, follows & favorites! I really appreciate it! Here is another chapter of TCOUN: Chapter Six! Please let me know what you think...I am a little paranoid when it comes to my writing-I always think there are flaws in them, so pretty, pretty, pretty please point them out. Tell me what I can improve, what you want to see in the next chapter(s), any thoughts of the characters and whatnot. Cheers and Enjoy!

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**The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto**

**Chapter Six – Early Morning**

The sound of an alarm clock ringing could be heard throughout the house, sounding for the third time. Every time before, a six-year-old's hands would reach over and press the snooze button, allotting an extra ten minutes to his seven hours of sleep. Now that it had rung three times, it was official that today Naruto had overslept nearly half an hour—the most he had ever done so far. Luckily it was the weekend, so there weren't any classes at the Academy. If he had overslept like this during the weekday…he could only imagine the horrors that Iruka Sensei would bestow upon him. The guy could seriously send some bad shivers down the spine when he's in a _really_ bad mood.

As the ringing persisted to the two minute mark, a grumble echoed from underneath the sheets. Slow as a sloth, a lump emerged on the blanket surface taking the shape of a deformed turtle. The outstretched hand from underneath reached towards the alarm clock and with utter annoyance, though he should have awakened from bed thirty minutes ago, pounded the SLEEP button, finally silencing the mechanical thing. Naruto removed the sheets that cloaked his body and propped himself on the floor. He hissed as the bright sunlight hit his face. "Ugh. Good morning to you too, Konoha."

He stretched his arms, shaking off the sleepy feeling from his body. Just as he was about to make breakfast, he suddenly remembered something. Turning around, he examined the bed. Three pillows on the bed…

He smacked himself on the forehead. "Oh right! Yukika was staying with me. Speaking of her, where is she?" Then he remembered what she said a couple hours ago.

_"I'm waking up early tomorrow morning—a little business."_

He wondered what she meant by that. There wasn't any point in looking for her in the village—she could be anywhere. Besides, Yukika would probably expect to find him still eating his breakfast (after washing himself off of course) when she'd walk in, but that was only if she comes back within the next hour. Sighing, the blonde moved to the bathroom to tidy up. "I guess I'll find out when she gets here, whenever that is."

_Three hours earlier…_

A rapping sound on the door stirred the old man awake. He looked over at his clock and saw that it was five o'clock in the morning. "Who the hell is up at this hour?" he thought to himself. Then his mind drifted awake. "Oh right I'm living in a shinobi village, duh!" he exclaimed to himself and smacked his forehead for forgetting he resided in Konoha. _'I hope I'm not in trouble. So help me if it's that fox kid again…'_

The _rap-tap-tap_ on the door sounded again.

"I'm coming", he yelled with a groggily annoyed voice.

Finally at the door, he swung it open and was about to give the unexpected visitor a piece of his mind when he saw who it was. A young female with wavy silver hair swept to one side stood in front of his door. Her slate grey eyes had a mesmerizing look to them, one filled with wonder and experience. She smiled with her pale pink lips and greeted him. "Good morning sir. I know it's a little early, but I'd like to discuss something important with you. It's about one of the apartments upstairs."

The man could barely take his eyes off of her face, let alone her beautiful physique. He simply nodded, moving to the side to let her inside his half office half house. He eyed her, taking in the sight as she gracefully moved to his office area, the flowing knee length skirt and off-the-shoulder top moving swiftly along with her movement.

_'What a pervert'_, Yukika thought to herself. She could tell he was looking at her with "admiring" eyes. She hated when men did that.

Once they settled in his office, the man noticed how pale her skin was. It wasn't deathly pale; it was more angelic, like snow. From the radiance he felt from her he guessed she had the touch of a dove. He smiled as he examined her face. It was nice to have a beauty as a customer from time to time and today happened to be his lucky day.

"Do you know a young boy that lives in the apartments?"

"Could you be more specific? There are several families who have sons", he answered back while quickly glancing at her physique again.

"I talk of Uzumaki Naruto." The man's face changed to a disgusted look.

"Yeah, I know d'boy. He's 'pain in the ass, always causing trouble around here. Gizzards, he can never keep his mouth shut for a second. But Miss, if yur inquiring that ya want his place, I got no problem renting or selling it to ya." He winked. "Sweetheart."

Yukika internally cringed. The man was passed his mid age, over forty and nearing his fifties, if not there already. His unshaven look alongside the layers of fat under his neck and bulging stomach made the man look like an overweight pig and the fact that he was calling her "Miss" and "Sweetheart" made her want to throw up. Plus he smelled like cheap alcohol, which only made it worse.

She closed her eyes and internally composed herself before opening the slate orbs and talked.

"Actually, I'm not interested in renting or buying the place. I actually wanted to ask you about renovating it."

The man widened his eyes, a devious smirk plastered on his fat, plump lips. "B'fore I answer your proposal, lemme ask somtin'. Why do ya wanna renovate the place? Ya got a connection to that boy of some sort?"

Yukika was starting to get ticked, but kept her calm demeanor. "I am his guardian", she began. "I could only stay with Naruto for so long—." The man's eye twitched hearing his name. "—due to my job as a shinobi, and when I come here to visit him, in one of _your_ apartments, he looks like he's living in a rundown shelter. But everybody else in the complex is in good condition. Why is that, _sir_?" Her eyes flickered with mild anger. She was tempted to beat the man, but she had something better in mind.

The man was a little shocked to hear she was _his_ guardian. No one knew he had one, let alone any parents. "W-Well…" he started. He unknowingly began to shake in slight fear. "He only had enough money to rent the place, so I sold him the apartment and he's been living there ever since. He's pretty content by the looks of it."

"Content? You don't even provide him with proper heating and cooling systems, the walls are coming off, the floor is dirty, cracked cement and there's very little electricity in the house. How the _hell_ do you think he's content?" Her voice continued to rise until she was to the point of hollering.

The old man just looked at her with a confused and frightened look. _What was up with this lady?_

"Look lady that was the best I could do for him. He didn't have enough money to afford the other things a-and nobody even likes him, not even me!" He gulped nervously. Maybe he shouldn't have said that.

"Enough", Yukika hissed. She walked up to the sitting man and grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey lady let me—", before he could complete his sentence, his eyes widened in utter terror.

Above in the apartments, the residents were still sound asleep when a horrorstricken scream echoed throughout the complex. Some suddenly awakened and looked frantically around their place, wondering what that hellish sound was and where it came from. Others either ignored it completely or ran to their kids, making sure they were safe and unharmed.

"I hope that our agreement will go smoothly", Yukika stated with a cold, emotionless voice. At the same time, she adjusted her jaw as the dead skin on her face grew back together.

The old man who had been in her gripping grasp was on the floor, looking up at her. Terror was written all over his face. He nodded quickly several times, his entire body shaking like a skyscraper about to collapse. Cold sweat covered his entire disgustingly bulgy body.

"Very good." She took the piece of paper that had the word CONTRACT written at the top and rolled it into a miniature scroll. After placing the rolled paper into her pocket she gracefully turned towards the door and using shunshin, disappeared out of sight, leaving the scared man still shaking on the floor. The paramedics later found him on the floor having suffered from shock.

A knock at the door made a six year old blonde slurping a mouthful of ramen noodles turn his head towards the entrance.

_'Maybe it's her'_. He sprinted towards the door and opened it. He smiled brightly, his assumption proven correct.

"Good morning sunshine!" She embraced Naruto, at the same time lifting him off his feet and into her arms.

"Hey put me down and good morning to you too!" His grin brought a smile to her face. Her little bundle of sunshine was always there to make her day happy. She put him down once they reached the kitchen.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" she asked while going to the sink and rinsing her hands. God that man's clothes were coated in sweat—yuck!

"I was going to finish up until _somebody_ interrupted me", sarcastically stated Naruto. He slurped in another mouthful of noodles. "Oh yeah, by the way, what kind of business did you have this morning?"

Yukika wiped her hands with a cloth. "Oh, I had to talk to a certain somebody about renovating your place." She made her trademark fox smile. Though he would never admit it, Naruto was just a tad scared of her—_just_ a tad. "They said it was perfectly fine. No extra charges required."

Naruto internally gulped nervously. He probably guessed she went to talk with Mr. Ruo, the pig-looking landlord of the complex. _'Wonder what she did to him—he's a hard guy to convince if you don't have money. And then there was that scary sounding scream…_' He went back to slurping his noodles again while she fixed up some breakfast for herself. For a moment, he tried going through a list of possible "convincing" methods Yukika could have used. But looking back at her, she seemed way too nice to even hurt a fly. Or was there a side of her he hasn't seen yet? _'Yeah, I don't think I want to know.'_

The rest of the morning went on quite peacefully. They talked together, though it was mostly Naruto doing the talking while Yukika listened, trying to understand exactly what he was going through every day.

"I really like the Academy, but the kids over there always call me names and sometimes they do beat me. I try to ignore them, but they just won't stop, even when I tell them to stop." He swung his legs under the chair, solemnly looking at the kitchen counter. Yukika had placed a cup of hot tea in front of him and herself. Neither of them had taken a sip. "I really like Iruka Sensei. He's a good teacher, always showing us examples of what we need to do on our assignments and helping out as much as possible. My classmates don't believe it, but I do study. In fact, I take the time to study during my lunch time and when I come back home. And I've improved—I know I have, because my results are showing it. But sometimes the kids steal my paper when Iruka Sensei isn't looking and change my answers. That's how I fail class. And I come to him for extra help! Just go and ask him yourself and he'll tell you straightforward that I've been getting extra help!" He was on the verge of crying, but he held back the tears. This wasn't something to tear up about. '_C'mon Naruto, get a grip! You're going to be Hokage, so you can't be a crybaby!'_

Yukika seeing this put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "It's okay to cry Naruto. I know how much it hurts, to know you're doing so well and then having it all taken away. But you have to be strong, no matter what and always be honest and trustworthy of yourself. Don't let them get to you—that not the hero I know." She smiled and winked.

A few tears slid down his cheek before he wiped them away, a tiny smile dancing on his lips. "Thanks Yukika, you always know how to make me feel better."

"That's what I'm here for."

Naruto was about to continue when he suddenly remembered something. As fast as lightning, he hopped off the chair and went to the bathroom.

"Enjoying your morning bath Chokichi?" He patted the summoning on its head, earning a light bark. Chokichi waged his tail in the water in excitement, splashing some on Naruto.

"Hey! I just changed!" The pup merely wrinkled its nose, as if he was mocking the six-year-old right in his face.

Before the entire bathroom would be splattered with bath water, Yukika called out to Naruto.

"I'm going to go out shopping for supplies. Do you want to help me?"

He contemplated her question. He would love to do practically anything with her, especially if he could help in the process. But there were the villagers to consider. No one liked him and he usually would get kicked out or have what he wanted thrown at him. _Even so_, he thought to himself,_ Yukika is here now._ He knew he would only have this week with her. _To hell with it! If I get kicked out or beat up, then so be it!_

"I'll be out in a minute!" he yelled back. He turned to Chokichi. "Alright buddy gotta go. But I can't leave you here." He picked up the pup and wrapped him in a towel. A quick clean up of the bathroom and the two came out, Naruto dropping the baby off on his bed and heading for Yukika who was preparing herself in the kitchen.

"So what are we going to do with Chokichi?"

Yukika walked over to the bed and did two hand signs before blowing what looked like snow dust onto the pup. Instantly, he was asleep. "That should keep him resting for another twelve hours. Now let's go do some shopping, shall we?"

And off to Konoha's busy market they went.


	8. Author's Note

**Hello my fellow readers! Thanks so much for the views, favorites, reviews and follows! You guys always make my day and only want to write more. :)**

**I'm pausing the story for a little bit-for Reconstruction purposes (don't worry, nothing military related XD). Next update will probably be the end of September! Hopefully balancing work with school and our new 7D2 schedule and club will run smoothly in the next couple of weeks, now that school is starting VERY soon! I hope you've all had a wonderful summer. And soon to be, welcome Autumn!**

**You'll hear from me soon, if not sooner ;)**

**Cheers!**

**-VictoriaVQ**

* * *

**Replies to Comments/Reviews:**

**SilverRose42**

_**Hehe I'm glad you like it! More is coming and very soon!**_

**Rin Eve Klein**

_**Thanks so much :) I always try to keep my writing easy to read and visualize**_

**darkfrost154**

_**Aww! I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry! But I'm glad you like it though :')**_

**Muruko234**

_**Thanks man ;)**_

**TigrezzTail**

_**Why thank you. I totally understand-it's always best to keep it easy and simple, yet awe-some**_

** .luna**

_**Hmm...I can't reveal too much information beforehand...you'll find out their relations in future chapters, I promise :) The Akatsuki with the Rookie 17 and Naruto...I'll have to consider that. And I DEFINITELY want to draw the Rookie 17-gotta find time. ;D**_


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